America’s top diplomat has reiterated Washington’s commitment to Taiwan at a congressional hearing on Afghanistan. Speaking to the House committee on foreign affairs, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. would stand by its commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act.

Antony Blinken
US Secretary of State
Mainland China and Taiwan, as I said earlier, whatever protestations they may be making in their newspapers or in their propaganda, there is nothing that China would’ve liked more than to have re-up the war in Afghanistan and to remain bogged down for another five, 10 or 20 years.

During a congressional hearing, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China had used the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to produce anti-American propaganda. A House representative asked if the Biden administration would do “whatever it takes” to support Ukraine and Taiwan.

Antony Blinken
US Secretary of State
We stand by our commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act. We’ll stand by the commitments that we have to Ukraine.

Over on Twitter, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China released a new video, featuring lawmakers from Europe, Japan, Australia, and elsewhere. They called on democracies around the world to reject Beijing’s bullying.

Louisa Wall
New Zealand MP
If Lithuania is punished by Beijing, its democratic allies across the world must be ready to assist.

Kimberley Kitching
Australian Senator
It is time to stand with Lithuania. It is time to stand with Taiwan.

Back in Washington, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim spoke at the American Legislative Exchange Council, a nonprofit of conservative state legislators. She talked up Taiwan’s strong economy, adding that Taiwan’s democracy would not cave in to Chinese pressure.

Hsiao Bi-khim
Taiwan envoy to Washington
Who are questioning the presence of the Confucian Institutes and the way the Chinese government exercises censorship and surveillance on their students. Taiwan is your best alternative for learning the Chinese language in an environment where the young people can exercise their full freedom and tweet whatever they want without the risk of going to jail.

Hsiao said that Taiwan’s contributions to the global economy were not limited to the products of TSMC. She also said that as free democracies, Taiwan and the U.S. had shared interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Hsiao said she hoped for deeper exchanges between the two countries to counter the Chinese threat.